South Asia is of great geopolitical significance. Home to nearly a quarter of humanity and comprising states such as Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, it is marked by enduring regional antagonisms and hosts three nuclear powers.

For years, our understanding of South Asia’s long history of international relations and connections remained patchy, hampering scholarly debate along with our capacity to envision the region’s future. This is changing. New questions are being asked, archives previously unavailable are opening up, and scholars are exchanging across disciplinary boundaries—revealing multi-faceted interactions between South Asia and the rest of the world.

What is NIHSA?

NIHSA was founded in 2019. Our members come from universities and research institutes in South Asia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe. They research and publish cutting-edge work within multiple fields including History, International Relations, Anthropology, and International Development.

Objectives

Our network has three aims:

1. To act as a hub for the dissemination of cutting-edge research on the international past of South Asia as widely as possible;
2. To expand the momentum in the field through workshops, conference panels, and public events;
3. To develop international and interdisciplinary research collaborations.

This comes with a twin commitment:

1. To foster greater dialogue between scholars and the wider public, from policy interlocutors to anyone interested in History and South Asia.
2. To create and share accessible content about South Asia in its historical and international context.
3. To establish stronger, more equal connections between the global south and global north.

Friends of the Archives Network

In order to build a broader community around archival policy and practice in India, the Archives & Policy Seminar Series has launched a Friends of the Archives network here.

Join us by registering here.

Events

NIHSA is pleased to announce the fourth session of our Archives and Policy Seminar Series:

'Unlocking the Archives: Declassification, Secrecy, and Public Memory'.

Monday, July 20, 2026, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (IST)

This session focuses on the critical issue of declassification and how state control over archival records shapes the writing of history, public accountability, and democratic access to knowledge. The discussion seeks to address the persistent gap between India’s vast documentary record—particularly in the domains of diplomacy, security, and foreign policy and the limited public access available to scholars, journalists, and citizens.

Our aim is clear: developing actionable strategies for a more transparent, accountable, and accessible declassification framework in India. This session of the Archives and Policy Seminar Series grapples with the tensions between the need for state secrecy on one hand and democratic access on the other, particularly when archives hold significance for understanding India’s political, diplomatic, and institutional history. This requires engaging seriously with the issues of secrecy, national security, bureaucratic culture, and the public’s right to historical knowledge.

The session will examine the institutional logic behind classification practices, declassification procedures, and the broader implications this has for archival research and democratic debate. Bringing together policymakers, scholars, archivists, and practitioners, the discussion aims to move beyond abstract concerns and toward practical recommendations for improving transparency, archival access, and the long-term preservation and release of state records in India.

This is a hybrid seminar and those who are unable to attend in-person in Delhi are invited to join online.

For more details on the series, see here. This is closed-door discussion at CSEP where a senior group of other scholars and policy experts share to share insights and expertise.If you wish to attend, either online or in person, please email NIHSA (nihsa@kcl.ac.uk). outlinining your credentials and motivation.

 

Visit the official webpage for the Archives & Policy series, a cooperation between NIHSA, King's College London, New York University Abu Dhabi, the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), New Delhi.

The series brings together scholars, archivists, policymakers, practitioners, and institutional partners. It is grounded in the belief that archival knowledge is crucial for shaping public debate, informing policy decisions, and preserving collective memory.

Visit the website to learn more about the initiative, participate in its event series, and ponder its recommendations on bridging the gap between archival research and policymaking.